Introduction

East St. Louis has an especially rich social, political and cultural history. At the turn of the twentieth century, industrial growth and economic prosperity characterized the city. Located directly on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River in the sate of Illinois, quickly became a prime location for railroads, stockyards, industrial and manufacturing plants and the home to many Lithuanian, German, Polish, Croatian, French, Bohemian and other Eastern European immigrants, Native Americans and African-American migrants particularly from the South. Across the river from the crowded urban center of St. Louis, Missouri, East St. Louis attracted residential development to house industrial employees.

After World War II, however, the once booming manufacturing companies closed their factories and left East St. Louis, taking employment and prosperity with them. The industrial jobs were an important source of income for middle-class and working-class residents alike, and the subsequent disappearance of retail and other local employment opportunities left those who stayed with few economic opportunities.

Today, many imagine East St. Louis as an impoverished and economically depressed African-American community. Less known are the stories of individuals who have dedicated countless hours toward neighborhood improvement and community revitalization. This document recognizes one such story. The remaking of the Emerson Park neighborhood in East St. Louis provides an alternative picture into the lives of people who have succeed in sustaining a community for their families and neighbors.

Emerson Park Development Corporation was established by a group of neighborhood men, women and youth, led by Ceola Davis of the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, in 1985. The original goal of EPDC was to enhance the quality of life in the 55-block neighborhood of Emerson Park by uniting residents around the causes of unemployment, environmental degradation and crime. With strategic community planning, creative urban design, on-going community organizing and accessible adult education, EPDC now has a remarkable list of accomplishments including housing rehabilitation, new housing construction, the start-up of HUD’s Tomorrow’s Builders YouthBuild Program, park renovation and the attainment of numerous awards and grants.

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